As Voyager entered its final season, fans had a lot of
questions. Would the crew get home? Would it happen before the
finale? Would Neelix and Seven make the trip to Earth? Would
Janeway and Chakotay finally hook up? Would Harry die one more
time? Lots of questions. We know what we ultimately got on screen,
but what went on behind the scenes?

In this special episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by
someone who was there in the writers room, Mike Sussman. After
successfully selling the story that would become “Unimatrix Zero,”
Mike then landed a spot of the writing staff for Voyager’s final
season, and would go on to become a writer and producer on
Enterprise.

Mike joins C Bryan Jones, Larry Nemecek, and Charlynn Schmiedt
to discuss many moments and aspects of Season Seven, including “The
Haunting of Deck Twelve,” “Prophecy,” “Repentance,” and of course
“Unimatrix Zero” and the Borg. We also discuss writing The Doctor,
stories pitched but not produced, the development of Enterprise
while wrapping Voyager, and much more.

In our news segment, we discuss a restoration project for the
original Enterprise filming model, get an update on Portal 47, and
look back at the impact of Robert Wise and The Motion Picture on
Star Trek.

News
Red Shirt Diaries Season Two Premiere (00:01:54)
Restoring the original Enterprise shooting model (00:08:09)
Robert Wise and the impact of The Motion Picture (00:18:55)
Portal 47 update (00:33:29)

Feature: Voyager Season Seven with Mike Sussman
Going from Fan to Staff Writer (00:44:59)
Mike’s Early Spec Scripts and Pitches (00:54:00)
Joining the Voyager Staff (01:01:06)
The Haunting of Deck Twelve (01:07:30)
Third Chances and the Enterprise Transition (01:13:34)
Voyager in the Shadow of Enterprise (01:18:20)
Prophecy and Delta Quadrant Klingons (01:20:48)
Unimatrix Zero and the Borg (01:28:48)
Repentance (01:34:32)
Writing the Doctor (01:38:49)
A Talented Writing Team (01:42:06)
Voyager’s (Alternate) Ending(s) (01:44:20)
Conflicts with Enterprise? (01:51:05)
Looking Back as a Fan (01:54:11)

One of Deep Space Nine’s most loved episodes is an enigma in and of itself. Focusing on just one main character, played by someone other than the normal actor, “The Visitor” highlights the power of DS9’s concept to tell character-driven stories that transcend the usual Star Trek formula. This tale of Jake Sisko’s life after losing his father in a freak accident tugs at the heartstrings for so many viewers—and the intensity of this effect depends on your own life experiences.

In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Will Nguyen, Phillip Gilfus, and Jeremy Reed to discuss the unusual concept, the performances of Tony Todd and Rachel Robinson, the father-son relationship between Benjamin and Jake Sisko, how Star Trek uses the future time frame, and much more.

In our news segment, we discuss the VFX fixes found only in the Netflix version of TNG, and share our thoughts on the diverse and Star Wars-like aliens found in the Abramsverse.

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Nguyen

Guests

Phillip Gilfus and Jeremy Reed

Editor and Producer

C Bryan Jones

Executive Producers

Matthew Rushing and Norman C. Lao

Associate Producers

Renee Roberts and Zachary Fruhling

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

News

TNG Visual Fixes for Netflix (00:06:57)

The Aliens of the Abramsverse: Good or Bad? (00:17:03)

Feature: The Visitor

Synopsis and Initial Thoughts (00:26:34)

The Concept (00:38:40)

Tony Todd as Jake Sisko (00:46:49)

Mental Health in the Future (00:54:22)

Remember (01:02:26)

Jake’s Path (01:08:11)

Father and Son (01:12:49)

Rachel Robinson (01:17:24)

The Future Time Frame (01:22:46)

Star Trek’s Best? (01:32:24)

Final Thoughts (01:39:28)

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We’ve all heard the expression “selling your soul to the Devil.” The people of Ventax II took this perhaps a bit too literally when nature started getting restless and a con-artist with a claim to the planet showed up. Who can save the day? Well, Kirk, of course. We mean Picard. This is a TNG episode, after all. Only it isn’t.

In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Daniel Proulx, Jarrah Hodge, and Zachary Fruhling to discuss all things Ardra, how the script for “Devil’s Due” was repurposed for TNG from the aborted Phase II series, how societies fall into apocalyptic thinking, whether Picard’s role would have worked better with Kirk, and much more.

In our news segment, we discuss the first major update to the Star Trek Encyclopedia in 16 years, leaked photos from the next film, and who we think the Star Trek Beyond villain might be.

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Daniel Proulx

Guests

Jarrah Hodge and Zachary Fruhling

Editor and Producer

C Bryan Jones

Executive Producers

Matthew Rushing and Norman C. Lao

Associate Producers

Renee Roberts and Zachary Fruhling

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

News

Star Trek Encyclopedia Due for Major Update (00:04:30)

Star Trek Beyond Leaked Images and Villain (00:11:41)

Feature: Devil’s Due

Synopsis and Initial Thoughts (00:26:09)

The TOS of it All: Adapting the Phase II Script (00:37:46)

Picard/Data or Kirk/Spock (00:47:34)

Apocalyptic Thinking (00:51:42)

Ardra’s Motivations (01:06:53)

The Holodeck Setup (01:18:12)

Final Thoughts (01:22:02)

Send us your feedback!

Twitter: @trekfm

Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm

Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm

Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact

Visit the Trek.fm website at http://trek.fm

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm

Support the Network!

Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep Star Trek talk coming every week. We have great perks for you at http://patreon.com/trekfm